This might explain it, sort of!

CIMG0160.JPG
Originally uploaded by M@rg21

This is why I can't blog properly at the moment. But I did manage (I hope) to dowload this from Flickr.
Can't reply to comments unless you eamil me direct on gmail.
It's a hard life!,,,,,,,,,

Testing

Just testing to see if this works.

What Were They Thinking Wednesday

THIS IS INDIA .  IT'S WHERE YOU CALL WHEN YOU HAVE A TECHNICAL PROBLEM  WITH YOUR  COMPUTER.

Wonky log cabin quilt

I have been busy this weekend. The weather was very ordinary, cool and rainy. I made the most of the opportunity and finished the wonky log cain quilt top.

I am going to have to take some more photos as it was very overcast  and they haven't come out very well. At least I have a couple of photographs to show you. I started these at the beginning of August, some are more wonky than others, I had to re-do a couple that were frankly way too wonky.  Some now don't look very wonky at all, but overall I am really really pleased with the way it has turned out.


Last night I started sorting out this fabric for my next quilt. Lovely bright Plume and some co-ordinating  basics.

Dangerous animals and more

Saturday's post about the spider had me thinking.  


After Mrs P from QIMP posted this post and this one some time ago which included a lot of deadly animals, and a number of comments from people living overseas about the scary creatures here in Australia, I googled poisonous/dangerous animals in North America.
Guess what I found!  And you lot worry about coming here, I'm pretty sure I'm never going to venture outside any metropolitan center in the U.S.A.  on the off chance I might meet one of these.


Grizzly Bear
Don't try and run from a bear because they will easily catch and dispose of you. Lastly, if the bear does start attacking you, either play dead and protect your neck, or punch him in the nose, one of the bear's few sensitive spots. 

Fatalities: 5-10 per year 

American Black Bear

Fatalities: Few, although they attack humans more than Grizzly bears This was intriguing - does that mean they would rather attack a human than a Grizzly bear or do they attack more humans than Grizzly bears do!!!!!!

Western Diamond Rattlesnake

Watch where you are walking and be attentive. If your hear a rattling sound, that means there's a rattlesnake nearby and it is ready to strike. Keep in mind snakes can extend their bite up to 2/3 their length and are too quick to dodge.

Fatalities: 5-15 per year & over 8,000 snakebites 

Not just one kind of rattlesnake too -

Eastern Diamond Rattlesnake

Timber Rattlesnake

Mojave Rattlesnake

Speckled Rattlesnake

Pygmy Rattlesnake

Massasauga

Sidewinder

Black-tailed Rattlesnake

Tiger Rattlesnake

Panamint Rattlesnake

Banded Rock Rattlesnake

Western Twin Spotted Rattlesnake

Red Diamond Rattlesnake

Prairie Rattlesnake

Grand Canyon Rattlesnake

Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Cottonmouth 

Copperhead - 4 types

Western coral Snake

Eastern Coral Snake

Texas Coral Snake

Fatalities: 5-15 per year & over 8,000 snakebites 

That's at least 24 different poisonous snakes!!!!!!!!!

Mountain Lion

Stand tall, shout loudly, stare at them intensely, and throw rocks at them if you feel threated by a mountain lion. Do not corner, confront them, flee, or play dead because it may stimulate their instinct to chase and attack you. 

Fatalities: 0-5 per year 

Coyote

Same as Mountain Lion

Fatalities: 0-5 per year

Alligator

Don't swim where alligators are suspected to be (bogs and rivers in Florida). 

Fatalities: 0-5 per year 

Great White Shark

Avoid wearing bright colors because it attracts them, and if you are bleeding, exit the water immediately because they can smell blood from miles away. 

Fatalities: 5-15 per year, 50-70 reported attacks 

Bison

They have powerful legs and may start rampantly kicking you, in which case you should try and curl up into the fetal position until it leaves.

Fatalities: Few, although indirectly (car crashes, etc.) they cause 100+ per year 

Deer

Deer had the same comments as Bison -They have powerful legs and may start rampantly kicking you, in which case you should try and curl up into the fetal position until it leaves. What the? I'm not even safe from Bambi, great!

The Black Widow Spider

They inject an especially potent neurotoxin along with their bite. This type of poison blocks nerve impulses to the victim’s muscles, resulting in cramps, muscle, spasms, rigidity, and, in extreme cases, paralysis.

The Brown Recluse

They also enjoy bunking with humans, and have a nasty habit of crawling into clothing as well. Most victims are bitten while dressing or sleeping. In its own way, the brown recluse’s venom is much nastier than that of the the Black Widow. Recluse venom is a necrotic toxin: that is, instead of affecting a victim’s nervous system, it acts directly on the skin and musculature to kill the tissues immediately surrounding the bite. The dead tissues heal very slowly, if at all. 


Gila Monster


One of only two poisonous lizards in the world.

Scorpions

Tarantulas

Puss Moth Caterpillar

Hornets

Wasps

Horse Fly

Ticks - Lyme Disease, 

Skunks

Poison Ivy

Have I missed anything?

Sew-In and a spider

Last night was kind of a modified Sewing Party. the absolutely wonderful Mrs P linked to Friday Night Sew-In, I didn't because I forgot. So we had a kind of party, emailing each other every hour or so to encourage each other.
My contribution to the night was hand sewing the binding to the back of a quilt.

Everything was going perfectly, I accomplished quite a bit.

UNTIL

Now I have to warn you scaredy cats that don't like creepy crawlies, avert your eyes now, go off and have a coffee and don't come back until my next post. I am slightly concerned that if I post this I will turn away thousands of potential travellers to our fine land. Also don't read any further if you don't like swearing, it has been sensored, but....................

I spotted this.

take a look, doesn't look that big does it, but that is about 3.5 metres (11 ft) away up above my head. Here's a close up.

I wasn't too bothered by it, until I took a pic with a flash,

Look at it's eye, shining brightly in the middle of it's head, that gave me the creeps.

The emails went back and forth like this (heavily sensored as I don't want  people to think that Mrs P and I use anything but polite language.)


Me:Look what I just saw when I came back in  

Mrs P: Grab the Pea Beu and kill that ######. 




Me: Don't worry I have just used half a can on the #######. It's about 3-4
inches across. The cats are going crazy now.

Mrs P: Your cat looks possessed...


Me: I can't go to bed now until that ####### dies. It's only about 10  
metres from my bedroom, that's way too close for me.

Mrs P: Stuff a towel under your door...it's going to die. A horrible death. Like
agent orange for spiders horrible.  It usually only takes 5 minutes. 

Me: It's taken freaking longer than 5 mins, and it has only looked pissed  

off, not even looking like its in its final death throws.

Mrs P:  ( a very helpful comment here from her at this stage)   Maybe it's a super spider and you just gave it extra powers with the spray?

It's probably sending out subliminal messages to all the spider friends and
theyre converging on your house as we speak...

Me: I think I'm going to die from fly spray poisoning before that nuclear  

######## does. Maybe its a cockroach in a spider suit. 

Mrs P: Can you see a zip? If you can see a zip it's in fancy dress...

Me: I'm not getting that ######### close.  You can come over and have a look if you like, or maybe send Michael.

A few minutes later. 

Me: I went over to watch TV while i was waiting for it to die and it  

followed me over......#########

Mrs P:  OMG it's STALKING you.

Another quarter of an hour later.

Me: It hasn't moved for ages now, fingers crossed

Mrs P: It ‘s probably faking it- if you go to bed – it will get into your booze cabinet. You don’t want to be confronted by an drunk surly spider at 3 am do you?

Me: You're making me cry, I am going to have nightmares. Not my booze cabinet aaaaahhhhh!

Me: Oooh oooh ooh it's sort of twitching slowly, I think that is a good sign. EIther that or he is getting ready to jump on me.

Me: I'm going to bed, if you don't hear from me in the morning, you know I have been attacked by a mutant spider that has got super spider powers from being sprayed with a couple of litres of fly spray.

Good night. I hope I wake up in the morning ( without a spider staring at me) now I'm freaking myself out. If you don't hear from me call the police.

THIS MORNING

Me: I survived the night, mwaa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

I got the #######, still wondering whether it was a cockroach in a spider suit though,

Does that look like a zip to you?

Mrs P:  Oh Thank God. I got up hoping there would be an email from you  to let me know you were OK. 
If there wasn't I was calling the police immediately.

Favourite Things Friday

Flowers are one of my favourite things. I love to have at least one bunch or pot of flowers in the house. Nothing fancy, just a simple bunch of flowers, like gerberas, lilies, freesias or roses, or a potted orchid.
If I had to choose a favourite flower it would be orchids, which is lucky as in this part of the world we have access to orchids most of the year, and they last really well inside too.

Here are a few photos of flowers I have had in the house this year.

Singapore Orchid

Kalanchoes

What Were They Thinking Wednesday

I have decided to start What Were They Thinking Wednesday.  
I receive lots of emails from friends with interesting photos and stories which more often than not evoke the description -  What the????????
Now I can share some of these gems with you.


A few years ago the Queensland State Government decided our state logo should be "The Smart State".  I don't think everyone in the state received the memo.


For my inaugural WWTTW  I give you this photo below.

Look closely, take your time.

This house was built in Queensland, not very smart eh!

Another finish

I have finally finished the crochet throw I started months ago.
Thanks to Sue at Mrs Twins who posted about this pattern  found at Drops Design.

So here it is.

I followed the layout exactly as in the pattern, but as I used off white and white and only two colours, instead of only using off white and three colours, I am not sure the layout looks quite as good. I think if I did it again I would do the layout differently.  The squares are joined together by dc(UK) and chain. I have never joined squares in this way before, but I must say once I watched the video on the Drops website, it was very easy and I think it gives a really lacy look to the throw.  

I also didn't look at the finished size, it is quite a bit smaller than I imagined. It is a nice lap size throw or is big enough to throw over your shoulders, but not big enough to wrap around.

I found the pattern rather strange in places and after attempting their method I decided to change it a little bit and it worked out much better.  It is mainly the way each round is started, it seems awkward and makes the beginning of each round stand out instead of blending in.

I used some of the yarn I had left over from this project an 8ply acrylic which is lovely to work with,

I just added white.

Tuesday tidbits

Do you remember me saying I would NOT buy any more jelly rolls, that I have a gzillion stashed away and have not used any of them. Well....hmmmm, I succumbed to the call of the jelly roll, but not because I am pathetic and have no will power, no, it was because I had to. I really did. You do believe me, don't you?

My first mistake.
Unfortunately I had been searching through Flickr for inspiration and came across a photo of a project made in Authentic by Sweetwater.  That got me thinking, that I could make some lovely things if I could get my hands on a bit of Authentic. The search began. Sadly, I was a bit behind the times, and pretty much everywhere had well and truly sold out. I was beginning to despair of ever finding any Authentic until I found this website. Go on click on it and note where it says under the name, The Home of Jelly Roll Heaven......oh no........ not jelly rolls.
Lo and behold, Linda had some Authentic in stock, no charm squares or layer cakes left, but yes, she still had jelly rolls. That was it, if I wanted to purchase some Authentic I had to have a jelly roll. I wanted that Authentic real bad, I was going to buy a jelly roll, I had to buy a jelly roll.

My second mistake.
Now as it happens, even though The Fabric Patch is an online store, the warehouse is only 20 mins from where I live.  So I rang to double check that there was still a jelly roll in existence, yes there was, and then I asked if it was ok to go there to pick it up rather than have it sent out.  So off I went to pick up my precious, my jelly roll.    When I arrived I was shown into my dream. A room full of beautiful fabric pre-cuts.  Guess what, I didn't stop with the jelly roll, yeah, I know, pathetic, no will power. I also came home with a La Petite Ecole Layer Cake and a Lumiere de Noel charm pack, and,

drum roll here, ta dah,

the very lovely Linda also had an Authentic Layer Cake hidden away. She took pity on me and let me buy that as well.

So now I have some Authentic, yippee. I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet, but I just had to have it.

At least I only bought one jelly roll, I resisted the urge to buy any others, and boy there were a lot to choose from.  Now to add my newly purchased pre-cuts to my stash and add to my very very very long list of projects to start.

In the meantime,

Almost finished, I just have to finish the final round of the border and sew in a couple of ends.

And now for something completely different.

No sewing party for two last night as I went out to see a local production of Fiddler On The Roof. It was very very good, and I can't believe how many of the songs I remembered as I haven't seen it or heard the songs for ..........  ummm, I was going to say how many years, but I don't want to feel that old, so let's just say since I was a teenager.

Instead, some pics of craftiness that I have been working on this week. It would be really really nice to get a finished project in here, but this is what happens when doing too many things at once and being absolutely useless at time management.

A bit of sewing ends in on my crochet squares. I love crocheting, but I really don't like sewing those ends in.  Sometimes it just makes me want to crochet in one colour.

The pile on the right is the finished pile, at least it's way bigger than the squares left to do pile.

Also a photo of the finished Laundry banner. As it is a gift and I don't have any hooks to hang it on, I had to improvise.

A certain teenage person is standing behind the shutters holding it in place.

You are probably getting sick of seeing wonky blocks, but here they are in all their glory on my improvised design wall.  This seems to be working a whole lot better than these did.

My "design wall", if you can call it that, doesn't look aesthetically pleasing, especially the books sitting on top holding the flannel in place, but it works, sort of, and hasn't fallen down...yet!

(BTW the red feather boa is part of bitchypoo's artwork from last year, not one of my accessories.)

I've finished all the blocks now and starting the final round.

I have probably broken a cardinal rule in quilting, and have sewn the rows together as I go, rather than finish the final round on every block before sewing them together. I've completed the first two rows and have three more to go. I am finding it much easier to keep them in order.

A sneak peak

I am really really happy with the way this one is turning out. I've used Kona charcoal as the final round/sashing. It's looking a wee bit purplish in this photo.

Favourite Things Friday

It was a toss up today between a beautiful piece of furniture and chocolate.

Everyone already knows I love chocolate so I'd rather show this lovely piece that I inherited from my maternal grandmother. I know absolutely nothing about it, other than it is a reproduction piece and the veneer is burled walnut.  The veneer has chipped in a couple of places but it is still beautiful to me and I love being able to see it every day and remind me of my grandmother.

This table takes pride of place near the entrance and I always have flowers or a favourite bowl displayed on it.

This photo was taken last year with the most gorgeous bunch of oriental lilies.

Tuesday tidbits (and tails)

We went down to Brisbane this weekend for the Riverfire Festival. We stayed along the river and watched the fireworks and the F111 jet do a dump and burn fly pass. We had a great time, the weather was warm and quite humid too.  I took a couple of photos on my phone as I forgot my camera.

The last photo is the F111 jet passing overhead.

If you like, you can see here the official You Tube clip and here if you want to see what it actually looked like live.  At about 2.43 in to the second clip you can see the F111 fly across the river.

Yesterday I finished the loops on the Laundry banner, I crocheted them using perle thread.

I also finished the 20th wonky log cabin block, and fixed a couple that were too wonky and not big enough. I have them up on my design wall.  No photos to show yet until I work out what my next plan of attack is on them.

Some pics of the babies this week.

Lulu guarding my mess.

Bailey eying off a lorikeet in the trees off the verandah.

The boy with his "flea".

A Sewing Party For Two II

Last night  Shay aka  General Pyjamas and I had another Sewing Party. I was very slow to start, primarily as my sewing table looked like this.

Hmmm!

After tidying moving stuff to the side so half of my cutting mat was clear, I made these.

That's 19 blocks now, 1 to go. I am also going to re-do a couple of them as I am not happy with their shape and size.  I lasted until 11 pm last night before I had to call it quits.  General P has much more stamina than I, so I left her partying away by herself.

Other crafty works this week -

Do you remember the sneak peak of these

They turned into this

Which now look like this

A door hanger for my friend J's laundry door, not quite finished yet. I love the ceramic buttons, so cute!